A Day in Cardiff
I got up at Stupid O’Clock this morning to catch an early morning plane from Dublin to Cardiff. It was very cold when I arrived but it soon warmed up and turned into a lovely day.
I had a nice breakfast at Bill’s when I arrived in the City then did tour of the National Museum of Wales where there is an exhibition about the Miners’ Strike of 1984/5, from which this display case caught my attention:
I also had time for a round of Name That Artist (scoring a miserable 3/12, for Sutherland, Ernst, and Magritte).
After that, I took a stroll around Bute Park before heading to my hotel in Cardiff Bay to check in and have a rest before the reason for my visit, an event which will take place here at 7pm:
I won’t be able to blog about that until I get back to Maynooth tomorrow afternoon.
In the Dark 
April 5, 2025 at 5:18 pm
Pride (2014 film) is worth watching, if you haven’t already seen it.
April 5, 2025 at 7:47 pm
Have a lovely time in Cardiff. It always feels strange to visit a place where you used to live, with so many reminiscences and some changes to the location.
Don’t accept any invitations to sail in small fishing boats while you’re there.
April 5, 2025 at 9:34 pm
Quite so. Some years ago when I had to go to something in London, I took the time to walk past my old flat in Bethnal Green. It made me feel very melancholic and I resolved not to do it again. I was tempted today to walk past my old house in Pontcanna but I’m glad I decided not to.
April 6, 2025 at 9:55 am
Yes, it can be better not to revisit old places we have left.
I often wonder how old places I lived in have changed, including Cardiff. I haven’t visited Cardiff in about ten years, and on that last occasion, it was surprising to see how some places in the city centre had changed while others had not.
April 6, 2025 at 9:58 am
There’s quite a lot of new things, but very many older establishments have closed. It’s very noticeable how many shops are boarded up.
April 6, 2025 at 10:41 am
It’s disappointing to learn that the problem of closed shops on high streets has even affected Cardiff. I’m used to seeing closed shops on the streets of towns, but I would have hoped that Cardiff would have had the size to resist the process.
One of the most surprising changes I saw in Cardiff when I was last there compared to when I moved out in 2000 was the pedestrianisation of St Mary Street and, particularly, all the Welsh flags along the street.
April 6, 2025 at 10:43 am
Lots of new hotels have been built since 2000 and big new shops (such as John Lewis) but many of the smaller traditional shops have closed down.
April 6, 2025 at 11:06 am
New hotels, if developed appropriately, could be welcome: there was a shortage of hotel accommodation in Cardiff. The loss of small shops is disappointing because they give towns and cities an individual character.
April 5, 2025 at 9:44 pm
I spent the day at Lords watching day 2 of a game in which, happily, Lancashire are outplaying Middlesex. This is some consolation for Lancs being relegated last September.
April 6, 2025 at 6:54 pm
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April 10, 2025 at 8:18 pm
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